Louis Vuitton Brings Charlotte Perriand's 1934 Modern Beachside Home To Reality.

This is not the first time an old design concept of pioneer Charlotte Perriand's has been realized.  I have already shared with you her 1938 Mountain Refuge concept which was constructed by Cassina in 2012.



Originally conceived in 1934, Charlotte Perriand's chic beach front holiday home was a second prize winning project at a design contest held by “L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui” magazine.


above: Charlotte Perriand in 1934

The concept was meant to encourage affordable holiday homes, made of natural resources, for a wide-range audience. A pioneer in interior architecture, Charlotte Perriand would later rework the idea with several versions for wealthier vacationers but the project would only remain at an early conceptual stage.




Now, 80 years later, Louis Vuitton sponsored a project to build 'La Maison au bord de l'eau' (the original name of the structure) for Design Miami. The team at Louis Vuitton constructed the structure using archival drawings and sketches from the Perriand architectural firm:








Today, although these studies needed an adaptation to translate the original sketches and notes into a tangible structure, the spirit of the visionary woman has been respected to the fullest with the genuine savoir-faire and help of Charlotte Perriand‘s architecture team.










Three vintage Charlotte Perriand tabouret stools, along with three chairs designed by Cassina based on existing models, have also been added to the original furnishings in this model home.














La Maison au bord de l’eau was on view through December 8, 2013 at The Raleigh Hotel. Now the home will presumably be sold to an art collector or architecture enthusiast with an equivalent passion for design.



Cassina and Louis Vuitton have also teamed up to present "Charlotte Perriand une icône de la modernité” in which Cassina showcases a unique and colourful installation at its Paris showroom during Maison & Objet as an homage to the pioneering architect Charlotte Perriand: an encounter which combines furniture re-editions by Cassina and fashion by Louis Vuitton to honour this magnificent contemporary legend.

information courtesy of Louis Vuitton, images courtesy of Design Miami, The Art Daily News, and The Telegraph

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Arek architecture, classic modern chairs, modern architecture, modern furniture, modern home design, modern wood, sustainable architecture

Water-Cooled House in Singapore by Wallflower Architects

Located in Bukit Timah, Singapore amongst the verdant landscape lies a two-story modern home of wood, concrete stucco, flagstone, limestone, granite, marble and lots of shallow ponds.








To unconsciously guide visitors to the living pavilion above, a minimal spiral staircase touches down within the entrance foyer.





An oculus within the pond highlights the main entrance, the circle of sunlight cooled and animated by the constantly changing sinusoidal patterns of refracted rays through the water above.



The koi pond’s thirty meter length and two meter width exposes a sixty square meter surface area within the house to capture the breezes for evaporative cooling. Hints of the tree-lined views are seen through the large circular void connecting the entrance foyer to the pavilion above.




The long koi pond runs the length of the home alongside a path that leads to the bedrooms on the ground floor.






The second story has reflecting ponds that surround the upstairs pavilion. The purpose of the second story pond is also designed to thermally insulate the dining, bedrooms and family spaces underneath from solar heat gain. In the same way, the water body above also helps to regulate temperature swings within the house. Both bodies of water were designed to facilitate in micro-cooling the rooms and spaces as well as provide an experience of serenity and isolation.





Plans and architectural drawings:




photos by and © Albert Lim
images and information courtesy of ArchDaily

Wallflower Architects
Design Team: Cecil Chee, Robin Tan & Sean Zheng

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Arek architecture, building design, modern architecture, modern home, modern house, nature conservation